Uboku Koroshi-ya
by Tsarina Torment
Summary: It's the night Itachi's supposed to kill the clan, but he's ill in bed and unable to move. Will the coup d'état go on as planned or will someone else step up to stop it? Currently a oneshot, may become a multichap.


**Disclaimer: I don't own **_Naruto_**.**

Itachi lay on his bed, deep in the thrall of a fever. Mikoto sat by him, watching as he internally panicked about something. She'd sent Sasuke to go get some cloths and water and the young boy had leaped to obey in an instant, worried for his ill brother.

"…mission…" Itachi mumbled, almost incoherently. Mikoto frowned. She had her suspicions as to what this mission that he seemed so insistent on completing was, and he was in no state to do so. Fugaku was twitchy. The coup d'état was scheduled for tomorrow evening and Itachi was to play a major part in keeping the ANBU out of the way. Except he wouldn't, if this mission went ahead. Mikoto didn't want to revolt; she was happy with her lot in the village – she'd had a good career and an even better retirement, funded by Konoha – and felt that she owed it to both her best friend and her old teammate to keep it safe in their absence. She'd failed their son, she couldn't fail their village as well.

She reached a decision. Resting a hand on her feverish son's forehead, she channelled her medical ninjutsu into him so that she could talk to him. Sasuke would be a little while yet, and Fugaku was at another meeting about the upcoming coup. Itachi's clouded eyes looked up at her as they cleared.

"What's your mission?" she asked gently.

"Secret," he replied weakly. She sighed and fixed him with a stare, enhanced by her kekkei genkai as she took them into a genjutsu-induced world where they could talk privately. Itachi tried to break it but, as she suspected, he was too weak to do so.

"You have to kill the clan." It wasn't a question. "The Hokage knows about the coup and you've been tasked with stopping it." Usually so good at masking emotion, Itachi's eyes betrayed his shock.

"How-"

"You've been distancing yourself from us recently, trying to make it easier for yourself," Mikoto observed. "Whenever you do look at us there's sorrow in your eyes. You don't want this. You don't want another war, and the only way to stop it is to eliminate us." Her son surrendered.

"You're right," he said. "But in this state… I'm out of time. There's no-one else who can do it but right now I can't…" Silent tears rolled down his cheeks. Mikoto ended the genjutsu as she felt Sasuke re-enter the room.

"Nii-san?" her youngest asked.

"Sas… uke…" Itachi replied weakly.

"Look after your brother, Sasuke," Mikoto instructed. "I'll be back shortly." Sasuke nodded, solemn with the responsibility, and she left the room, all too conscious of Itachi's stare on her back. The coup had to be stopped. If Itachi wasn't fit, then…

"Hokage-sama," she said, entering the office unannounced. Danzo, Homura and Koharu were with the Sandaime.

"Yes, Mikoto-san?" Hiruzen asked. "What is it?" The others bristled but said nothing.

"Itachi's ill," she reported. "He's not fit to complete tonight's mission." Danzo froze at her words.

"What do you know of your son's mission?" he asked suspiciously, confirming her theory that the four of them were all in the know.

"I'm his mother. If I couldn't tell when something was bothering him, what sort of mother would I be? It was easy to work out," she pointed out.

"Why are you reporting this?" Koharu asked curiously. "Surely this works in the favour of the Uchiha?"

"It does," Mikoto acknowledged. "But, like Itachi, I disagree with the coup. Kushina and Minato were close friends of mine and I want to protect the village they gave their lives for."

"What are you saying?" Homura asked. "It sounds like-"

"I will complete Itachi's mission," Mikoto interrupted. The older ninja all looked shocked. "But I have conditions."

"I'll hear them," Hiruzen said before the others could speak up.

"I will spare every child in the clan that doesn't know of the plans for the coup, and Itachi. They are innocent and Konoha cannot afford to lose the Sharingan completely."

"Impossible," Danzo spat. "They will grow up to form another coup later and at that time we will not have ninja powerful enough to subdue them."

"Mikoto is right," Hiruzen overrode him. "We cannot punish the children for the actions of their parents if they have no knowledge. However, Mikoto, you are aware that if you do this you'll become a missing-nin, or have to commit suicide." The Uchiha matriarch nodded.

"Hide my involvement. I'll make it seem as if we were attacked by an outside influence, and that I pursued them to defend the children. Besides, only a very few know of my capabilities. The village won't believe that I could do it, anyway," she reasoned. "You will look after the children? Itachi will be able to look after Sasuke, but he won't be able to cope with all the other children, particularly the really young ones."

"I'll ask for volunteers to foster them among young parents," Hiruzen nodded. "In the worst case, they'll be placed in the care of the orphanage."

"You cannot be agreeing!" Danzo said. "They'll revolt and-"

"Not if they are treated with kindness and brought up to love the village, they will not," Hiruzen said firmly. "Mikoto is correct in that Konoha cannot afford to lose the Sharingan clan. Itachi is loyal to us and he will pass that loyalty down to the other children, providing that they do not suspect that the village is behind the deaths of their families." He turned to Mikoto. "Uchiha Mikoto, I hereby declare you out of retirement and give you an S-ranked mission. Kill all members of the Uchiha Clan that are involved in, or aware of, the planned coup d'état aside from Uchiha Itachi in a way that absolves the village of any guilt."

"Hai!" She bowed her head and turned to leave, before glancing back at the elders. "I know a lot about the village, things that other villages would love to get their hands on. Protect all the children and do not let them find out the truth. I will know." She left, the thinly veiled threat hanging in the air.

"I don't like this," Danzo said. "How can we trust her?"

"We can't," Hiruzen admitted. "But with Itachi out of action she's our only hope."

* * *

Mikoto sped back to her house, careful to avoid notice. It was good that while officially retired, she had secretly kept her skills sharp. She'd need every ounce of it in order to take down her clan. All she had to do was wait the hour or so until nightfall before commencing the mission.

"Where did you go, Kaa-san?" Sasuke asked curiously as she entered, having grabbed herbs from her garden on the way up. She showed him the plants.

"To find something to help bring your brother's fever down," she said, smiling at him and ignoring Itachi's subtle look of suspicion as she applied the herbs. "Can you keep an eye on him while I prepare tea?"

"No problem!" Sasuke said immediately.

"Kaa-san…" Itachi said.

"You just focus on getting better," Mikoto told him, walking out the room. She had an hour in which to get her boys asleep and prepare for the worst mission of her life. First of all was feeding her sons. That was easy – she did it every day, after all. It took her a matter of minutes to prepare a light meal for her sons, which she carried up to Itachi's room. Sasuke fell to it with gusto while Itachi picked at his, not up to eating much.

"It's getting dark out," Mikoto commented idly. "Perhaps you two should settle down for the night?"

"I don't wanna leave Nii-san!" Sasuke pouted. She pretended to think for a moment.

"Hmm. If you're good, maybe Itachi will let you sleep in here tonight to keep him company?" she suggested. Sasuke immediately turned to his older brother, who nodded. "Go on, then. Go get ready for bed," she encouraged. He ran from the room to get changed.

"Kaa-san," Itachi said once Sasuke was out of earshot. "What are you planning? You never let us sleep in the same room if one of us is ill."

"Someone's got to stop the coup," she said quietly. "And you're in no state to do so." His eyes widened in realisation. "Look after Sasuke for me."

"No! You can't-"

"When I'm done, I'm going to leave the village. Hopefully I'll make it seem like it was outside influence, and that I left to chase them down and protect you two. I'll be declared either MIA or KIA, at Sandaime's digression," she informed him gently.

"They won't let me live," Itachi said. "I'm a threat." Mikoto smirked, a sight Itachi was not used to.

"So am I. I've made it clear that if anything happens to anyone I leave alive, information about Konoha will find its way to enemy ears. They can't kill you and not destroy the village. You and Sasuke will be safe." The pattering of little feet could be heard as Sasuke reappeared. Mikoto smiled at him, before performing her usual motherly checks. "Teeth? Face? Hands?" All were spotless and she allowed him to curl up next to Itachi.

"Goodnight, boys," she said gently, resting a hand on Sasuke's forehead. An almost invisible glow enveloped her hand and her youngest fell asleep immediately. Itachi immediately turned wary. "And you, Itachi," she said.

"You don't need to-" he started, too weak to fight her off as her Chakra-infused hand rested on his forehead, too. Within moments he too was asleep.

"Yes, I do," she murmured, channelling more Chakra as she cured his illness. Unnecessary perhaps, but it was the last time she'd be able to do it. "I love you both." She kissed both their foreheads gently before tearing herself away from them and leaving the room, closing the door behind her. They wouldn't wake for twelve hours – plenty of time for her to finish her mission, report and leave the village for good. Digging out her headband from where it lay in her drawers and once more securing it around her head, she felt a sense of nostalgia, enhanced when she opened the secret compartment and withdrew her mask – the mask of Uboku Koroshi-ya, her old alias of an un-allianced kunoichi that she'd used for S-rank assassinations that only the Hokage and his closest confidants knew about – securing it over her face. Gathering her weapons from similar compartments around the house and changing into the feared outfit of her alias, she finally felt ready for her task. Uboku Koroshi-ya was a well-known, feared kunoichi capable of sneaking into the most highly secure areas without leaving a trace and her kills were always silent. This would be no different, despite her attachment to her latest targets. She heard Fugaku enter the house and slipped out of the window. He had to be last for the deception to work. He was calling for her, but she didn't answer. She heard him find their sons, and his confusion when he couldn't rouse either of them.

"MIKOTO!"

That was her cue to leave. Not even her husband knew of her other persona, but there was no doubt from his tone that he knew she was the one that had put their sons to sleep. Other Uchiha had been roused by the cry and were heading towards the main house. Let them. She had to start from the outskirts, leaving a clear path of entry in terms of order of kills. She chose the obvious spot to do so – furthest from the majority of the village and the slight weak point in the walls. Those of her clan that stood guard there were first to die as her senbon pierced their vital organs, all at once. Despite her personal attachments, she felt a thrill at being back out in the field again, doing what she did best, as she removed her weapons. It was a well-known tactic of Uboku Koroshi-ya to retrieve her weapons as soon as possible after a kill. Sharingan activated behind the mask, she identified where people were and weren't in their houses. Any adult she came across died, holes where the senbon had been extracted post-mortem the only clues to her identity. Flitting into a house – she refused to allow herself to recall who lived where – she killed the woman in the kitchen and the man in the bedroom before approaching their young child, who looked up at her with fearful eyes. Quick as a snake, her hand rested on his forehead and sent him to sleep the same way she had her sons. Yes, she would spare innocents, but they still had to be subdued to prevent an alarm being raised. Luckily, Uboku Koroshi-ya was known for not killing children.

She killed with brutal efficiency – from the shadows where no Sharingan were looking – and soon all that were left were those that had flocked to her house at Fugaku's cry. She chose to forgo subtlety as there were no innocents among them. Her senbon flew true and they all fell, leaving her to face off against her shocked husband.

"Uboku Koroshi-ya," he said in fear as he activated his Sharingan. "Where's my wife?" He was the ringleader. He deserved to know who had slaughtered the entire clan without anyone realising just to protect the rest of the village.

"Allying herself with those that would protect Konoha," she spoke. Recognition dawned.

"Mikoto? You're Uboku Koroshi-ya?" he exclaimed. She nodded slightly.

"And you're her next victim." She knew Fugaku – had fought alongside him on many occasions – and so was confident that she could beat him, even if he hurt her. Then again, she was banking on it. Uboku Koroshi-ya's retreat had to seem genuine – Itachi was the age of some of her other victims so his survival would raise suspicions.

"Why?" he asked as she attacked furiously, holding his own against her own blade. For now.

"To save the children, and my friends' memories," she replied. He gave a wry smile as he managed to nick her arm and she jumped back.

"As kind-hearted as ever. This was Itachi's mission, wasn't it? I always knew he was too gentle to condone the coup."

"Itachi loves this village, as do I. I won't let him throw his career away because of his foolish parents," Mikoto declared. "This is the only way for me to atone for not trying to stop you earlier." She let him hit her a few more times and he grew bolder. His confidence had been increased when he realised who she was – he thought he knew her fighting style. But Uchiha Mikoto and Uboku Koroshi-ya fought differently. It was the basic mechanism to avoid her identity being compromised. Satisfied that enough of her blood had been spilled, she turned serious and unleased her full Sharingan. Within moments of her activating Tsukuyomi (real time) Fugaku was on the ground, disarmed and unable to move.

"Thank you," she said. "Your defence of our sons will convince people that I fought alongside you against our enemy. Sasuke will be convinced of his parents' innocence in all things, and be able to lead a proper life." She lifted her mask just enough for Fugaku, lying beneath her, to see her face, complete with advanced Sharingan, as she killed him. Cold he might have seemed, but he loved their sons and had proved it in his last hour and for that he deserved a better death than at the hands of his own wife. He'd been the man she married, not the mask that led the clan and it relieved her that he'd still been there. But she couldn't linger. Casting one last glance up at the window where her sons slept peacefully, she let a single tear roll down her cheek for her lost life before fleeing the compound, making it appear as if she was being chased out by someone – her other self, the one everyone knew. She had everything she needed – the weapons she'd collected from all her victims aside from those she hadn't had time to, due to 'pursuit' – and it was time to carve out a life as a criminal. Perhaps it was time for Uboku Koroshi-ya to become a reality and for Uchiha Mikoto to become the lesser personality. After all, she was supposed to be MIA so she could no longer be herself.

The massacre would be discovered in the morning. She had to put enough distance between herself and the village by then. A quick slash of the symbol on her headband to mark her new status, she replaced her mask – her new face – and headed away from the village. She didn't look back.

**This is a oneshot at the moment, but if people want me to, and/or I get a muse I may at some point turn this into a multichip with this as the prologue/first chapter.**

**I like the idea of Mikoto being really powerful – the clan head would not have married a weak kunoichi and she's canonically a retired Jounin – and so her alternative personality (Uboku Koroshi-ya) was created. She's able to kill the Uchiha Clan so easily because she's an assassin that knows the compound inside-out, helped by the hubris of the clan itself in their belief that no-one would dare attack them in their home, as opposed to Itachi who attacks close range. In case you hadn't guessed, my headcanons involving Mikoto are that a) she's an extremely capable kunoichi b) she's an extremely capable medic-nin and c) she has both Sharingan and Mangekyo Sharingan. I'm also following the apparently common headcanon that she was Minato's teammate, and the canonical fact that she was close friends with Kushina (whose death awakened her Mangekyo in my headcanon).**

**Uboku Koroshi-ya means Ebony Assassin.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Tsari**


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